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The Baton Rouge Metro Airport is on track for another record year in passenger volume, defying national trends that suggest a potential travel slowdown.
Through the first three months of 2025, BTR’s passenger traffic is up an average of 6% over 2024. Year-to-date monthly enplanements are:
- January: 27,697 passengers, up 4% over 2024
- February: 30,727 passengers, up 5% over 2024
- March: 36,593 passengers, up 9% over 2024
BTR set a new record in 2024, welcoming 844,025 passengers—an average of 70,335 per month—up 10.65% from 762,789 passengers in 2023. The previous record of 821,236 passengers was set in 2019.
This strong start to 2025 comes even as major U.S. airlines are warning of a softening domestic travel market. According to CNBC, airline CEOs report that demand for domestic leisure and business travel has fallen short of the high expectations set earlier this year, citing economic uncertainty, volatile markets, and policy changes such as new tariffs.
Major carriers including Delta, Southwest, and United have announced plans to scale back capacity growth for the second half of 2025 amid weaker-than-expected bookings. Airfare prices nationally have also dropped 5.3% year-over-year as of March.
While airlines are trimming flight schedules across the country, BTR has not experienced any reductions, an airport spokesperson confirms.
Meanwhile, BTR’s nonstop service to Washington’s Reagan National Airport (DCA)—launched by American Airlines in 2023—reported an average 66% load factor in January, the most recent full month of data. Flights from DCA to BTR had a 64% load factor during the same period.
“While DCA load factors are lower than we would like, a dip in January or even the beginning of the first quarter is not unusual,” the spokesperson tells Daily Report. “We are still on target for another record year.
